Artistic Design
by Deandra
Summary: Theomund makes a serendipitous decision with far reaching repercussions. Part 66 of the Elfwine Chronicles, but this is a 4 chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

**Artistic Design**

_**Part 66 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.**_

_**A/N: Yeah, I know – where are the other two Elfwine Chronicles (#64 & 65) I mentioned having ready? Well, I decided that they weren't quite ready yet and I'm still working on them. Then I got this idea finally moving so I have been focused here for the moment. (And thanks to Tracey for her questions/observations that helped flesh out the storyline a bit differently than I had originally expected.)**_

_**I think the inspiration for this story comes from rynogeny's "Heart of the Horselord". No, there really isn't even the vaguest similarity between the two, but I had discovered her story when she was up to about ch. 17, and never found the time to go back and catch up on the earlier chapters. I finally did that the other day, and I suppose just that it is so well written and has so many wonderful original characters in it somehow got me jumpstarted working on this piece about Theomund, that has been floating in the recesses of my brain for awhile now. Anyway, if you want something good to read, go check out her story.**_

_**Note that we have jumped quite a bit ahead in the timeline. The year here is 41 Fourth Age, which means Eomer is 70, Lothiriel is 62, Elfwine is 40, Theodwyn is 33, Theomund is 31, Morwen is 27 and Theodred is 18. You will discover some of what the family has been up to in the interim, though I likely won't go into depth on each one in this particular story. You will see some of the other family members as they interact with Theomund.**_

_**from Old English: Fele - faithful; Orgel - pride; Eledher - fire hair; Frideswide - strong peace;** **Renward - horse guard; Abeodan - announce (yeah, the meaning is dumb for a horse, but I liked the sound of the word! - he whinnys a lot, okay?)**_

**Chapter 1 (early Sept., 41 IV)**

"My lord?"

Theomund looked up from the metal he was molding to see his aide standing in the doorway. "Yes?"

"There is a woman here who wishes to speak with the 'owner'. I…do not think she wishes to buy anything."

His curiosity piqued, Theomund rose to follow him to the other room.

Upon turning twenty years of age, Theomund had purchased a blacksmith shop and adjacent building, setting up a business for himself. The blacksmith shop still functioned in all manner of metalwork for everyday needs, but Theomund himself designed various pieces of a more decorative nature. Much of the nobility of Edoras and the surrounding areas was fond of obtaining items he had made, and then displaying them in their homes, usually not bothering to mention that they had been _purchased_ from the King's son rather than being a _gift_ from the King's son. Now, some eleven years after going into business, it had become something of a status symbol to own work by Theomund.

In the next room, Renward introduced him to the woman, "My lord Theomund, this is Fele."

The woman bobbed a curtsy at him as Renward left them. "My lord, thank you for seeing me."

She shifted nervously, considering what to say next, and Theomund appraised her silently. She was likely only a few years younger than he was, and her clothing suggested she was of the lower class, though it was perfectly clean and tidy. Her most striking feature was her dark red hair, which presently was pulled back into a nondescript single braid down her back, though he very much suspected it would be spectacular if seen loose around her face in full sunlight.

"My lord, I am...hoping...you would be willing to let me rent out space in your business and make use of your fires. I...I make jewels for ladies and do not have the means to make them on my own. I would give you a portion of my profit in exchange for this." She stumbled to a halt and watched him a bit fearfully, almost as though she expected him to shout at her.

He frowned at her behavior and rubbed his chin. "May I ask why this is necessary? Do you not have a husband or father to care for you?"

She blushed with embarrassment, and he seemed to detect a tinge of shame also. "I...my father died a few months ago, my lord, and...and...my husband left me nearly two years back. I must work to provide for my mother and my child." Her voice had become very soft and he barely caught her final words.

He had never considered letting out space, but there seemed little harm in it if it allowed the woman to make a much-needed living. Curiously he asked, "Are you from Edoras?" He was surprised he knew nothing of her, but sometimes gossip about the poorer class of people did not reach Meduseld.

"No, my lord. I am from Aldburg. Some friends helped us get enough coin to move here, in hopes that I could find a better market for my jewels."

He found it disconcerting that she would not look at him, and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. Aldburg. He would have to speak to Elfhelm and Freyda to see if they knew anything of her. They had stayed on in Aldburg for a number of years after Elfhelm gave up his post as Marshal of the East-mark, but finally had decided to move to Edoras to live out their days since two of their children had located here.

"Do you have any samples of your work that I might see?" he asked, and was rewarded with her finally bringing her gaze up to his face.

"I do not have anything with me, my lord, but I could fetch some if you wish to see them." Her voice held a note of hopefulness, and he had a sneaking suspicion that no matter how bad her work was, he was about to give in to her. He could not bear to burden her with a rejection.

"I would appreciate that," he told her. "Then I will decide. However, I will accompany you. I need to stretch my legs. I have been sitting too long this morning." He gestured toward the door, and despite a look of dismay, she led the way out.

He suspected she did not wish him to see her abode, but he wanted to know exactly what her circumstances were before he involved himself. He could better judge that in person than by hearsay.

Not unexpectedly, she led him toward the poorer section of town and to the door of a boarding house. The man at the desk glanced up disinterestedly, then did a doubletake and exclaimed, "My lord! Welcome!" He wiped his hands on his shirt and scurried around the desk. "How may I be of assistance?"

Theomund raised a restraining hand and smiled pleasantly, "Be at peace. I am here visiting one of your boarders briefly." The man's gaze flicked to Fele with obvious surprise, but he nodded and moved away from them without comment.

While the two men were conversing, Fele eyed her companion more closely. Something about the desk clerk's behavior made Fele even more uneasy about this. Who was this man, Lord Theomund? She had inquired about nearby blacksmith facilities when she arrived in town, and was told his was the closest, but she had seen ample indication that he was more than a mere merchant. Perhaps he was of noble birth? The thought made her even less inclined to have him see her humble living arrangement.

Still, he seemed determined, and she did not dare refuse him if she hoped to have his agreement to the bargain. She led the way up the stairs to the second floor, and down a dark hallway to the end. Calling out to her mother as she opened the door, a moment later she was greeted by her three-year-old, who raced up and flung himself at her knees. "Mama! Mama!"

Picking him up, she kissed his cheek, "Hello, dearest." Chubby arms wrapped around her neck briefly before the child turned to stare shyly at Theomund.

"And who is this?" Theomund inquired, grinning at the boy.

"Eledher, my son."

Without warning, the boy reached for Theomund and exclaimed, "Hello!"

Mortified, Fele wrestled to hold the squirming lad, "Eledher, no! He does not want to play with you! Be still!"

"On the contrary," Theomund said, reaching over and plucking the boy from her arms. "I am happy to meet you, Eledher. My name is Theomund." He tickled the boy's belly and was rewarded with a childish giggle.

Fele watched the two of them with some dismay, though she saw no recourse but to allow it. Just then her mother came up behind her.

"Lord Theomund, this is my mother, Frideswide," she introduced and the other woman, after assessing him a moment, bobbed a curtsy at him.

"My lord. It is a pleasure to meet you." She hesitated slightly, then inquired, "Does not the King have a son named Theomund?"

Theomund grinned pleasantly at her, "He does, and I am he. I did not think myself well known outside of Edoras."

Fele gave a gasp of horror. The King's son! And she had... Quickly she moved to take her son, but Theomund just grasped the boy more firmly and gave her a teasing look, causing her to blush as she let her arms fall.

Mumbling softly, she told him, "My lord, I am so very sorry! I did not realize who you were. I asked for directions to a blacksmith shop, and it never occurred to me –"

He interrupted her gently, "It is of no consequence. You sought a blacksmith shop and you found one. Now all that remains is for you to show me the fruits of your craft so I may judge whether or not to accept your proposal."

Her eyes came up to meet his, forming wide uncomprehending orbs. "You...you would still consider allowing me space to work?"

"I do not see any reason to reject your proposal out of hand. Unless I do not think you have any chance of making a living, once I have seen your work, your request is reasonable."

She merely stared at him for several moments, until her mother nudged her and quietly directed, "Get some of your pieces to show him, Fele."

Pulling herself from the daze she was in, she nodded and moved away. Frideswide gestured to a nearby chair, one of two at a small table. "Will you be seated, my lord?"

He moved to the chair and as he sat down, Eledher announced, "I have a wooden horse. Want to see it?" Before Theomund could respond, the boy hopped off his lap and took off across the room, causing Theomund to chuckle.

Frideswide smiled apologetically, "He is a very friendly child, my lord. He does not let anything stand in the way of making a new friend and sharing his toys."

Theomund laughed, "He sounds much like me as a boy! My sister tells me I was so agreeable it was annoying!"

An instant later, Eledher thundered back to them and lifted his arms for Theomund to pick him up. Hefting the boy back into his lap, he paid earnest attention to the wooden horse being shown him. Meanwhile, Fele had returned with a few pieces of jewelry in her hands and hovered uncertainly nearby, not sure whether he wished to be interrupted or not.

Glancing up, he held out a hand for the pieces and she gave them to him. Placing them on the table next to him, he shifted Eledher to his other leg and studied them, even as he listened to the little boy chattering away about the toy. Theomund had a good eye for beauty and these were exquisite pieces. Once she got a bit of business going, her work should prove quite popular, though he thought she had made a wise decision in coming to Edoras, a more high-toned place than Aldburg. With the royal court here, the local nobility were always in search of new ways to impress one another.

Kissing Eledher's head, he told the lad, "I must speak with your mother now, Eledher. But I thank you for showing me this wonderful toy. Perhaps we will meet again." He set the boy down and, unhappily, Eledher let his grandmother lead him away.

"You are very good with children, my lord," Fele observed, and then blushed at the forwardness of the comment.

He grinned, "I have many nieces and nephews for practice."

She was startled. "None of your own, my lord?" Then thinking the comment rude, she blushed again and lowered her eyes.

He shrugged. "I am not opposed to the notion, but as yet I have not found the lady to do the honors. As merely the second son of the king, rather than the heir, I am not so much sought after by the ladies of the nobility as my elder brother was. And once he was lost to them, they might have considered me except for my annoying penchant for behaving as a common laborer. I think I embarrass them because of my trade. But it is part of who I am, so I will wait until I find the lady who desires _all_ of me, not just my royal relations."

Rising, he nodded to her. "I think we have an agreement, Fele. Come by when you are ready to begin and we will work out the details. I have a smaller furnace and tools that I use for crafting decorative pieces that might be of use to you more than the large fires of the blacksmith shop."

She hastily stood and curtsied to him. "Thank you, my lord! I do so very much appreciate this!"

"One thing, however," – she looked up questioningly at him – "I do not think I can work alongside someone who is constantly curtsying to me and calling me 'my lord'! I realize you must do so in public but, please, I would have us be more informal while we work."

Uncertainly, she nodded agreement to this unusual request. He gave her a grin, called a farewell to her mother and son, and was out the door before she regained her senses.

xxxxx

By the time Fele returned to Theomund's shop two days later, she found it had been redesigned. Adjacent to his work area, a new work area had been built, with the two of them sharing the furnace.

She stared in astonishment at what he had done for her, in so short a time. "My lord...Theomund," she exclaimed, "this is too much! You should not have gone to such trouble for me. I can never repay you for this!"

He grinned. "I do not expect you to repay me. This is what I will find workable in having you here. You will just have to indulge me in that! I am not giving you a choice in the matter!"

She blushed, but murmured, "Thank you!"

He gave her a tour of the building, both his small workshop and the larger blacksmith shop, and showed her where he kept his tools. She was very impressed with the artistic work that he did personally and could not refrain from telling him so, pleasing him greatly.

It did not take long for Fele to get settled in and begin working, anxious to have an income once more. What little money they had was running low, as were their food supplies, and all too soon they would owe rent on their room. Theomund had designed and hung out a sign for her business, and a few visitors coming to see him looked over her display, but paid little attention to it.

He could tell by the strain on her face that she was beginning to get worried that her work would not sell. When the next person came in, once they had concluded their business, he guided them over to her display area. Politely, the woman looked disinterestedly over her wares, for Theomund's sake, and idly asked how much a certain necklace was.

"Five –" Fele began to say, but Theomund cut her off.

"That piece is fifty. She misspoke." Fele's eyes got round in alarm, but she did not dare argue with him.

He reached for the necklace, and studied it, then commented, "I was thinking of buying this piece for my mother."

Next to him, the woman's eyes lit up with sudden interest – jewels by this nondescript woman were not necessarily appealing, but jewels that might be worn by the queen certainly were.

Smiling, Theomund turned to her and offered, "However, if you would like this jewel, I can always have Fele make another piece for my mother."

Eagerly the woman opened her purse, "Thank you, my lord. That is most kind of you." Without hesitation she forked over the money and watched possessively as Fele wrapped the jewel in a cloth for her to carry.

When the woman was gone, Fele blurted out, "What are you doing? I cannot ask that much money for my work!"

Theomund smiled devilishly at her, "Perhaps you cannot, but I can! And they will pay it, too, if they think the queen admires your work. Furthermore, after you have designed a piece especially for my mother and she has worn it publicly, you will find yourself with more business than you can handle!"

"But...but...that is dishonest. Your mother has never seen my work! I cannot let customers think she approves of it just to get them to buy things!" she sputtered.

Theomund placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back into her chair, "Calm down, Fele. I am not asking you to do anything dishonest. Trust me, I know my mother, and she _will_ admire your work once she has seen it. You will design a piece especially for her, I will buy it and give it to her and, when she has worn it, you will have to deal with the consequences. End of discussion."

Fele felt like she should object more, but all that he said made entirely too much sense. At length, the best further argument she came up with was, "Even so, I cannot charge such high prices for these–"

He cut her off. "You are a fine jeweler, Fele, but you know little about selling things. If you offer your work for five then that is all they will think it is worth. If you charge fifty, they will believe it is worth fifty. And it _is_ worth fifty. I know what I am doing. Trust me, please."

She could think of nothing more to say to refute him and finally sighed in defeat. "Very well, if you are sure."

He leaned down and tapped her on the nose, startling her. "I am sure. Now get to work on that piece for my mother. The sooner she wears it, the sooner your business will be booming!"

Swallowing hard, Fele tentatively asked, "I...do not suppose...would it be possible for me to meet her? Your mother, I mean? If I could do that I would have a better feel for what she might like."

Theomund rubbed his chin briefly, then nodded. "An excellent point. Get your cloak. We are going to have dinner with the queen."

_**End note: It is not essential that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written, but there is an advantage to doing so. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order (#15 came after #17, I think), but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Had a little trouble with chapters on this. Probably the story should have been about 5 chapters, but that would have made them wildly uneven in length. So, I opted to do a fairly short first chapter to introduce the scenario, and the final three are fairly lengthy. This is the longest of them.**_

_**Oh, and just a reminder, dinner equals lunch. In Med. Times, it was breakfast, dinner, supper, so they are headed to lunch with the queen. **_

**Artistic Design**

**Chapter 2**

Fele stumbled up the hill next to Theomund, not at all certain about this. Surely they could not just barge in on the queen's dinner without invitation, even if he was her son. And for him to drag in a complete stranger would be unforgivably rude. She tried again to dissuade him. "My lord, truly we should wait and seek an audience with her majesty. I do not think it right for us to just suddenly put in appearance this way."

He chuckled, "Fele, trust me! I know my family and Mother will not be at all alarmed by this 'breach of etiquette' you perceive. She is always delighted when I drop by for meals, even encouraging me to do so more often, and she always welcomes my friends. Now, please, be at ease."

Friends? Surely he did not intend to have his mother think she was his friend in order to sway her favor… Before she could put forth further protest, they had reached the Golden Hall and Theomund led her assuredly to the small family dining chamber. As it happened, his mother was dining alone, and appeared quite pleased to see them.

Warmly she greeted her son with a hug and kiss, and then turned questioningly to the woman lurking behind him. Hazarding a guess, she inquired, "And might this be Fele?"

"It is," Theomund acknowledged, his hand pressing on her back to urge her forward. "Fele, this is my mother, Queen Lothiriel."

Nervously, Fele bobbed a curtsy, keeping her eyes on the ground. "It is a great honor to meet you, your majesty!"

She was startled a moment later when the queen's hand stroked the side of her head, and in consternation she looked up to discover the woman smiling gently at her. "It is always a pleasure to meet my son's friends, Fele. You are most welcome here."

"But…my lady…I am not a friend, I am just a worker–" she stammered, but the queen cut her off with a laugh.

"Clearly you do not yet understand my son, Fele!" The queen moved to be seated and gestured for them to do likewise. "His fellow workers _are_ his friends. It may seem odd to you, but that is the way he does things. If you work with him, you must tolerate his considering you a friend."

Lothiriel offered the plate of bread to the other woman, who took it hesitantly and then passed it on to Theomund after she had served herself.

For several minutes, while they dished up their plates, the conversation turned to catching up on family matters, and Fele listened silently, hardly able to believe she was privy to such a thing. She sat nibbling at her meal, barely daring to look up at the other two.

Then, suddenly, the queen asked, "So, Theomund, what brings you to my door this day? I doubt very much it was a burning desire to dine with your mother!"

He chuckled, and Fele eyed him with concern. Was the queen upset that they might have an ulterior motive for their visit?

"I have told you that Fele designs wonderful jewels, Mother. At present, no one is paying much attention to them, so I am enlisting your aid in changing that. Once the nobility discover you like her work, they will flock to her as well."

Lothiriel laughed, "True enough! They are like sheep, in that regard. Did you bring some pieces for me to see?"

Not looking the least bit apologetic, Theomund answered, "I fear we did not, but perhaps you could drop by the shop and see what she has done."

Fele was appalled by his comment, and felt she ought to be more helpful if the queen was going to do this great favor for her. Clearing her throat nervously, she offered, "If you would like, my lady, I will go and fetch some pieces for you to see. You do not need to trouble yourself by coming to the shop."

Lothiriel and Theomund's eyes met and they both laughed, though Fele was not clear what they found amusing about her words.

"I see you also do not understand my son's shrewdness yet. You _could_ bring the pieces here for me to see, but then I would have no reason to come to the shop, and be seen there – which would be a boon to business for the both of you! I assure you, Theomund did not 'forget' to bring the pieces along on this visit, dear. It was very well thought out on his part!"

Theomund shrugged as Fele stared at him in astonishment. Before either could say anything, Lothiriel added, "I am busy just after dinner, but I will come by this afternoon or tomorrow. I could use an excuse for a walk in the sunshine."

Still trying to recover from all that was happening, Fele was further disconcerted when the king suddenly appeared in the chamber. He bent to kiss his wife, acknowledged his son and then came to stand behind Fele as she began struggling to her feet in order to curtsy. Firmly grasping her shoulders, he pressed her back down into her seat. "Do not interrupt your meal on my account. Who might you be?"

Too overwhelmed to speak, she sat mutely working her mouth trying to find her voice. A glint of humor in his eyes, Theomund introduced, "Father, this is Fele, the one who does the jewels in my shop. Fele, this is my father, Eomer-King."

"My lord," she squeaked in acknowledgement.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Fele. Theomund has told us of you, and the fine work you do." The king seated himself next to her, between her and his wife, causing her to stiffen in alarm. He began stealing bites off of Lothiriel's plate as he inquired as to the reason for their visit, and listened while Theomund enlightened him.

With a sigh, he rose a few minutes later, apologizing, "I am afraid I cannot stay longer. I only snuck out of meetings for a moment, but must return. Fele, I hope we shall meet again." He kissed his wife once more, nodded to his son and was gone, leaving Fele with a pounding heart and feeling totally flustered.

She had never imagined that her asking to meet the queen would lead to all this, and certainly had never expected to dine with her and meet the king as well. It was more than she could take in at the moment, and her appetite completely failed her as she tried to recover her composure.

If the queen and her son noticed, they gave no indication of it, continuing to chat as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. She supposed, for them, nothing had, but to a peasant woman from Aldburg, this was likely more excitement than she would ever again know in her lifetime.

After her initial meeting with Theomund, and taking him to her home only to discover his identity, she had been learning all she could about this man who was so readily helping her. Her mother had not seemed nearly so shocked, or surprised, by her benefactor, and had related all that she knew of the royal family.

When Fele was younger, before she married, she had been as eager as anyone to listen to gossip, and the royal family at Edoras was frequently the chosen topic whenever news could be had in Aldburg. But once she had married, everything had changed. Her husband had seemed a good man before the marriage, but in the privacy of their own home, it was a different matter. Nothing she did was acceptable to him, and she frequently suffered his berating her about one thing or another. And, on occasion, if she displeased him enough, he was more than willing to punish her physically. She knew her mother suspected the abuse, but there was little anyone could do about it, and so Fele had simply done her best not to provoke him. Even her mother was not aware that the child she had lost had been due to his knocking her down some stairs.

In many ways, she had not been sorry when he had suddenly disappeared. Despite the hardships it brought, and the shame, it was still better than the abuse. She had resigned herself to making her own way in the world for the remainder of her days. She was not the sort of woman to attract another man, even if she was free to do so. But while Orgel lived, she was married to him, and even if he died wherever he was, she wasn't likely to learn of it.

So how in the world had she ended up dining with the queen of Rohan. There must be some dreadful mistake. She had told Theomund about her past, briefly, so he was not deceived about her in any way, but still he persisted in his kindnesses. Her mother allowed as how she had heard much of the royal family's generosity, and concern for their subjects, but that did not seem an adequate explanation for this. Her head was beginning to pound with all her frenzied thoughts as she tried to sort this through.

Suddenly Fele noticed the silence and became aware that the others were looking at her questioningly. Flushing red, she stammered, "I am sorry. Did you say something?" She wasn't sure which to look at in posing the question.

With a teasing grin, Theomund asked, "You do not find all the sordid details of our family life riveting? I am amazed!"

Her panicked gaze between the two of them, wondering what she had missed and how rude she had been, did not escape Lothiriel's notice. Reassuringly, she laid a hand on the woman's arm, "Ignore him, dear! He can be most annoying when he gets in one of his teasing moods. I suspect all this is a bit overwhelming to you, but please do not feel out of place. We are simply a family, like you, your mother and your son, and this is how we spend our time together in private. We do not feel the need to put on airs for our friends."

Fele blushed again at the very suggestion that she was worthy to be considered a family friend, but there was no mistaking the queen's sincerity.

Rising, Lothiriel told them, "I am sorry we cannot talk longer just now, but I have matters I must attend to. Look for me at the shop later today or tomorrow." She leaned and kissed Theomund's head. "It was good to see you, dearest. I do wish you would come visit more often. Bring Fele and her family to supper some evening. You know how I enjoy playing with children!"

To Fele's astonishment, the queen kissed her head also, saying, "It has been a pleasure making your acquaintance, Fele. I hope we see much more of you." And then the queen was gone and Fele stared numbly at the plate before her.

Her thoughts, or lack thereof, were interrupted by Theomund saying gently, "I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable bringing you here and including you in our family meal. I suppose we are not what people expect us to be, and I forget that can be alarming to those who do not realize it."

She merely stared at him in silence, at a loss for words, and finally he rose, extending his hand, "Shall we head back?"

She nodded and hesitantly took his hand for help up, then quickly released it to pull on her cloak. Still feeling decidedly out of place, she trailed slightly behind him out of Meduseld and back to the shop.

True to her word, the queen put in appearance later that afternoon. Fele was rather amused at how right she had been about the nobility of Edoras. She was quite certain the queen had intended to come alone for the visit, but along the way she seemed to have collected an entourage who trailed in behind her.

Apparently the ladies expected her to be visiting her son, and so were surprised when instead she moved toward Fele and smiled warmly. "I told you I would come. I am eager to see these jewels you have created." Immediately, the other women swarmed around to look as well. By the time Lothiriel departed, every single jewel the queen had even so much as picked up to look at had been bought by someone.

Completely overwhelmed at what she had just witnessed, Fele sat drained by it all, unable to think clearly. She would now have to get busy making more jewels right away. They had almost bought out her entire stock. After taking several deep breaths, she slowly picked up a few stones to consider. If nothing else, she would repay the queen for her kindness by giving her the very best creation she could manage. One thing was certain, she would never again tolerate anyone speaking ill of the royal family in her presence. None of them that she had met had been anything other than kind and considerate, even of a mere peasant like herself.

xxxxx

The ice had been broken. Word apparently spread quickly around Edoras of Fele's jewels and the queen's fondness for them. Soon, there were more people in the shop looking at her display than to see Theomund. At first, Fele felt guilty about that, but he seemed not to care in the slightest, even coming over occasionally to spur things along with idle comments he knew would set them off on a buying frenzy. She had learned to recognize the devilish glint in his eye as he moved away afterward.

The sudden attention pressed her to work feverishly to meet the new demand. She would have worked well into the evening, if Theomund would have let her, but he insisted she needed to go home and be with her son. "You have enough money now to meet your needs, and a shortage of supply will only increase their fervor to be one of the lucky few to obtain one."

She had bowed to the wisdom of his argument. It was true that the worry about money had been eased considerably by this turn of events, and she did not want Eledher to miss being with her.

Apparently, Theomund was not content merely to make sure she went home at a reasonable hour at the end of the day. When she arrived one morning, he was leaning against the door of the shop awaiting her. Fall had come and the mornings were a bit chilly now, so she was surprised he had not gone inside where it was warm.

A grin creased his face when he saw her and he shoved himself upright. "Finally! I have been waiting for you. I want to borrow your son!"

She blinked uncomprehendingly at him. "What?"

"Eledher. I want to borrow him and go for a ride."

"My lord, he is too young for riding," she stammered in confusion.

"Not if he rides with me," Theomund assured her.

"He is only three," she persisted, clearly thinking he did not know as much about children as she had previously believed.

"Exactly! My mother had a strict rule that none of us could ride outside of a paddock with my father until we were at least three and able to hold on for ourselves. So Eledher qualifies!" he explained triumphantly.

She stood staring at him a moment, then asked, "But why do you want Eledher to go with you? Would you not enjoy it more if you rode alone?"

"Of course not! There is nothing more fun than a child on a horse, especially if they do not get to ride very often." Changing direction suddenly, he asked, "Do you ride?"

She shrugged apologetically. "I manage if I am on a tame horse."

"Good enough! You can come with us! Then you can keep an eye on Eledher and be assured of his safety!" Theomund declared.

A frustrated noise sounded in the back of her throat, and she again tried to reason with him. "My lord, I must work. There are many waiting for jewels from me and –"

He cut her off, catching her arms, to give her a slight shake. "Even you need a day off to play, Fele! Please, let him come, and you come with us!" He gave her a pleading look that was impossible for her to resist. It strongly reminded her of a look her son used to get his way.

"Perhaps...we could go for a few hours, and I could still get in some work this afternoon –" she relented.

"Yes! Come, let us go get him and be off. Oh, I almost forgot." He turned suddenly and unlocked the shop, disappearing inside as she stared perplexedly after him. He returned a moment later, fastening a sword to his hip.

She eyed it nervously and, when he noticed, he explained, "A hazard of being the king's son, I am afraid. If I do not wish to take an escort to go outside the city walls, I must go armed. I suppose it is a fair trade off, but a nuisance at times. Still, I think Eledher will be excited by it."

Catching her arm, he steered her toward her home and hurried her down the street. She was amazed that her own mother seemed to find the whole thing amusing, and did nothing to help her argue against it. Instead, she helped get Eledher ready to go and packed a meal for them to take. Fele had not intended to be gone long enough to need something to eat, but Theomund graciously accepted the offering and urged her out the door before she could make further protest.

The next thing she knew, they were in the royal stables. Eledher was adamant about 'helping' Theomund brush his horse, though it was clear he was of little use for the task despite Theomund's great patience in the matter. At length the horses were ready to go and they mounted.

Fele shifted nervously in the saddle. She didn't often get to ride and she was somewhat intimidated by the large animals, but the mare Theomund had chosen for her seemed docile enough. Theomund gazed perceptively at her expression and quietly assured her, "Do not fret. She is as gentle as they come. All you need do is sit there and hold on. She will do the rest."

Fele gave him a weak smile, and he led the way out of the stable. It was early yet and the streets of Edoras were still mostly empty as they passed through. Despite her reservations about all of this, Fele could not deny pleasure at the prospect of a day away from work. She had had precious few of those since her husband left. The thought of Orgel was like a cloud passing overhead, and she firmly pushed it away. She did not intend to let him darken this outing. It wasn't likely another would come soon.

They walked for some time, but finally Theomund decided to give in to Eledher's pleas to go faster. Looking at Fele, he instructed, "Nudge her with your heels and she will pick up speed. Will you be all right?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded, focusing resolutely on staying in the saddle. The trot proved a challenge and, noticing her struggle with it, Theomund led the way into a canter so the mare would follow. That smoothed her gait enough so that Fele was having an easier time of it, and Eledher was thrilled. In fact, the boy was beyond thrilled and wanted to go even faster.

Looking at Fele, Theomund told her, "Do not attempt to stay with us. Keep hold of the mare when I move away and she will be content to stay at a canter rather than follow. Or, if you prefer, you can pull her to a walk to watch. We will not go far."

Before she could respond, he dug his heels into the sides of his horse and they sprinted away. The mare did start to pick up her pace until Fele reined her in, and dropped her back to a walk. Her breath was caught in her throat as she watched the two charging away from her at a rapid pace. She trusted Theomund, but that was her little boy...

As if he understood her concern, they were not gone long. Theomund actually pulled his horse in a wide circle around her and they made three circuits before he moved back over to join her and drew the horse to a walk.

"More!" Eledher exclaimed, disappointed it had ended.

Theomund chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Perhaps in a bit. Let Abeodan have a rest first."

Reluctantly, Eledher agreed and they rode in a peaceful silence for an instant, before he broke into an excited questioning about Theomund's sword. He twisted in the saddle so he could finger the hilt of it, studying it closely. Finally, he asked, "Will you teach me?"

Fele sucked in her breath at the question, feeling a sharp pang in her heart. She regretted the way her marriage had turned out, that Eledher had no father around to teach him things such as this and spend time with him. She knew there were some things a mother simply could not adequately do for a son, and it grieved her that he would suffer for her poor choice.

Theomund watched her from the corner of his eye, but did not turn to look at her, certain it would make her uncomfortable for him to do so. Gently he offered, "I will teach you to fight when you are a little older, Eledher. Right now you are not quite big enough to hold a sword and shield."

Clearly the boy was disappointed, but seemed appeased by the promise. All the same, he wanted something more definite. "When?"

Theomund laughed at the forthrightness of the child. "You must be at least four. I did not get a sword and shield until then, so you will have to wait also."

Eledher looked up at him excitedly and announced, "I will be four in just a few months!"

By now, Fele had forgotten her reverie and was blushing furiously at her outspoken son's words. "Eledher, hush! You must not impose on Theomund for such things."

Theomund grinned reassuringly at her. "Alas, Fele, you are too late. I have already made a promise, and I must keep it!"

With a sigh, Fele tried again, "My lord –"

She was interrupted by Theomund clearing his throat, and she looked at him questioningly. "We are not in public now, Fele. Please call me Theomund."

Blushing, she began again, "Very well…Theomund…please do not let my son take advantage of your good nature. I appreciate your kindnesses to us, but I do not expect you to…" She broke off, trying to figure out how to say this without great embarrassment.

Perceptively, he offered quietly, "You do not expect me to fill in for his father?"

Her eyes raised to meet his, a bit alarmed by his discernment, but she nodded fearfully, afraid she had offended him.

Eledher was still raptly playing with the sword hilt and seemed oblivious to their conversation, so Theomund told her, "I would never presume to try and take his father's place, Fele, but I would be honored if you would allow me to spend time with him on occasion. I have grown quite fond of him in this very short time. He is a good lad."

Her face flaming, Fele stared down at the saddle, unable to understand why he would be so impossibly kind to both her and her son. She supposed it had something to do with being royal; perhaps they were expected to do kind things for their less fortunate subjects. She finally forced herself to hoarsely murmur, "Thank you, my…Theomund. That is very thoughtful of you."

She missed the look of annoyance that crossed Theomund's face. Why was she always thanking him and acting as though he was doing some wonderful thing just because he was friendly and showed that he liked them? Were his actions truly so very strange? He gave a soft sigh. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by her reaction. Like it or not, he was royalty and others not only expected to have to treat him differently, but expected him to behave differently. Apparently, he was not expected to have friends or do nice things for others, as any _lesser_ person might. It was the part of his life he found most frustrating.

Trying to recover the earlier mood, he led the way off toward the orchards, and spent time amusing Eledher by letting him reach up to grab a few apples from the tree branches as they rode by. From there, they made their way toward the old swimming hole. The moment he saw it, Eledher wanted to make use of it. "Can we go swimming, Mama? Can we?" He began squirming in the saddle, and Theomund had to quickly catch hold of him so he didn't tumble off.

"Eledher, it is too cold to go swimming. Another time perhaps."

Instantly a pout appeared, but Theomund whispered to the boy, "Your mother is right, Eledher. That water is very cold, and not much fun to swim in right now, but we will come back next summer so you can swim."

Eledher's good humor restored, the three of them dismounted, and strolled around the area while Eledher energetically explored every nook and cranny of the location. Finally, after nearly an hour, he returned to them and flung himself against his mother, "I am hungry, Mama."

Theomund teased, "Even after all those apples you ate?"

Eledher grinned and nodded vigorously. "I am a growing boy! Mama says so!"

The two adults chuckled at that, and Theomund went to fetch the picnic they had brought. As they had failed to bring a blanket, Theomund spread his cloak out for them to sit on and they were soon munching on their meal, while Eledher regaled them with tales of all his discoveries around the pond. They had just finished eating, when Eledher jumped up and pointed excitedly toward the west. "Look! Horses!"

Immediately alert, Theomund rose to check on things, and after several moments he relaxed as he finally made out the king's banner. "Who is it?" Fele asked, coming to stand beside him.

"Likely my brother. I know Father is not gone from Edoras just now, and Elfwine is the only other one to ride under the king's banner on official business."

Fele nodded, then said entreatingly, "Theomund, I have enjoyed this day, but I truly should return and do some work. And I very much suspect my son will soon be in need of rest after all the excitement of the outing."

"Very well. We will ride out and meet my brother, and then we can return with them. That ought to make a fine end to Eledher's day." He moved over to ready the horses while Fele gathered up the remains of their meal and his cloak. They were soon back on their horses and underway.

As predicted, it was Elfwine leading the Riders, and he was surprised to find his brother coming to meet him. Theomund quickly explained the circumstances as they fell in beside him, and then made introductions.

Eledher was completely captivated to be amongst the Riders and his eyes sought to take in everything at once. Finally, however, they came to rest on Elfwine. After several minutes of observing Theomund's brother, he blurted out, "How did you hurt your hand?"

Fele gave a horrified gasp, "Eledher! That is rude! Apologize at once!"

But Elfwine raised his hand to silence her. "It is all right. It is an honest question. Sometimes I prefer the directness of children who will ask and be done with it, rather than their parents who try not to stare and whisper guesses about it when they think I do not notice."

As Fele blushed red, still not convinced that Eledher shouldn't be punished, Elfwine reached his arm over to the boy and told him about his accident. Curiously, Eledher studied the stump, then gingerly touched it with a finger, looking up in concern. "Does it hurt?"

"No, not anymore. It happened a long time ago."

Eledher considered that, then took in the sword Elfwine wore at his hip. "And you can still ride and fight and everything?"

Elfwine nodded and dropped his reins. Drawing his sword, he gave it a few easy swings before resheathing it, to Eledher's delight.

Then Elfwine leaned toward the boy and whispered loudly, "Do you wish to know a secret?"

Eledher nodded vigorously in anticipation and Elfwine told him, "The King of Gondor took care of me when I lost my hand!"

"He did?" Eledher breathed in awe. "Is he nice?"

"He is very nice," Elfwine assured him. "So nice, in fact, that he let me marry his daughter!"

Eledher wrinkled his nose at that. "I should rather have a pony!"

All three of the adults could not restrain a laugh at the child's perspective. Still chuckling, Elfwine agreed, "Aye, a pony would also have been nice!"

Apparently satisfied with the answers he had received to his questions, Eledher lapsed into silence, which it was soon evident was due to tiredness. Not long after that, Theomund glanced down to see the lad sound asleep in front of him, and pulled him a little closer to hold him more securely. As he looked up, he met his brother's eyes, which were presently full of amusement. He knew what Elfwine was thinking. He had often been teased by the family for taking so long to marry and have children. Now some of his nieces and nephews were almost grown, and ready to have children of their own.

Before they knew it, they were back at Edoras. Elfwine offered to have his men care for their horses so they could get Eledher to bed, and he left them on the main road near Fele's home. Eledher had barely stirred when Theomund dismounted, and snuggled into his chest as they made their way to the boarding house.

Once inside, Fele showed Theomund where to lay the boy, and after doing so he pensively gazed upon the cherubic little face for a moment. He was a dear lad, and Theomund could truly say he had immensely enjoyed spending the day with him. With his mother, too, for that matter. Sighing softly at the difficult situation, he pressed a kiss to Eledher's brow and stood up.

Fele had washed and was ready to return to the shop with him, so they said farewell to Frideswide and departed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Gee, why on earth would you people think Orgel is going to resurface? You don't see him in this chapter, do you?  
**

**Artistic Design**

**Chapter 3**

Cool fall days meandered into the rainy chill of early winter and then the usual snow. That slowed business somewhat, since fewer ladies were inclined to venture out and trudge to the shop. The inactivity made Theomund restless and he kept returning to the window to stare out at the frigid day.

Suddenly, he turned and strode over to Fele's work area. She had noticed his fidgeting, but had tried not to let it distract her from her work. His presence in front of her crafting table, however, was more difficult to ignore. She looked up at him questioningly, "Yes?"

"Do you have a nice dress?" he asked pointedly, causing her brow to furrow at such an unexpected query.

"No, not really. But then I do not have need of one. The work dresses I wear are more suitable."

Before she could question him, he swept her cloak off the wall hook and held it for her to put on, "Then we must go buy you one."

She sat staring at him, at a complete loss to understand what he was on about. Impatiently he shook the cloak at her, "Come on! You cannot go to the feast in a work dress. We must get you something nicer to wear. Do not worry – I have excellent taste!"

"The feast? Theomund, I am not going to the feast. That is not for peasants like me," she murmured with embarrassment.

"Meduseld is open to all who wish to come. True, the peasants usually do not often turn out, but that does not mean they are not welcome. And you are now a prosperous merchant rather than just a peasant. Think of this as business – you need to be there to promote your work." He looked pleased with the argument he had managed to produce.

Fele shook her head, "I do not think –"

"Fele, have I been wrong yet in guiding you with your work? This is a wise business move. Trust me!"

"You keep saying that, and you keep getting me –"

"I keep getting you more and more business! Now let us go!"

To her chagrin, he made a valid point. Everything he had done in her behalf had worked out extremely well for her, and she almost felt ungrateful to be arguing with him now. With a sigh, she laid aside the jewel she was crafting and rose to move over for her cloak. Moments later, they were making their way down the snowy pathway to the main thoroughfare where most of the dress shops were to be found.

The unpleasant weather seemed to be affecting other businesses as well, and the merchants were quite eager to please when they stepped inside to browse. Had it been left to Fele, she would have bought a rather nice, but plain, gown in the first shop and been done with it, but Theomund was more discriminating. He did not find anything to his liking in the first two shops, and tugged her along to the next. There he spied a heavy, dark cream gown that he instantly claimed for her, explaining it would look glorious with her hair.

Now that the gown was found, and arrangements made for it to be altered to fit, he led her back to the other two shops for accessories. Evidently he believed in spreading his business around so as not to favor any one shopkeeper, and it was clear that they appreciated his thoughtfulness in the matter.

Less than two hours after the excursion had begun, Fele was back in the shop at her work table and somewhat in shock. Normally, she would not have dreamed of spending so much money on such frivolous items, but the merchants had given Theomund a good price and he insisted she think of it as an investment in her business rather than trifling waste.

A week later, she found herself entering the front doors of Meduseld with Theomund at her side. Despite all his assurances about this, she still felt very much out of place in this situation. Surely these fine ladies would not be pleased to find her in their midst. As Theomund confidently waded into the throng, she did her best to hide in his shadow and go unnoticed.

To her consternation, after chatting briefly with people he encountered along his path, she discovered he was leading her right up to the main table to greet the king and queen. The other party-goers seemed to be pressing in behind them, and she could find no avenue to sneak away. The next thing she knew, she was face to face with the king and queen of Rohan again, but this time they were decked out in all their finery. She thought surely the queen must be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, even at the age of two and sixty years. Had Theomund not sworn an oath to his telling the truth, she would not have believed him when he had told her how old his mother was.

Before she could become overwhelmed with awe at the sight of the royal couple, Lothiriel rose and stepped down to take her hands, kissing her on the cheek, "Fele, I am so happy you could come! I do hope you will enjoy yourself."

In mild shock, she discovered the king grinning at her. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Fele. Enjoy the feast! Oh, and if you dance with Theomund, guard your feet. He has a reputation for treading on his partners' toes!"

Theomund glared in mock annoyance at his father, but ruefully shrugged after a moment since he could not refute the truthfulness of the statement.

Others pressed in then, to speak to the royal couple, and Theomund caught her arm to guide her off to a table at the side. "I am starved. Shall we eat?"

She nodded agreeingly at him and they found seats. Servants bustled over to make sure they had goblets of wine and to replace any depleted chargers of food. As no one seemed to take particular notice of her presence or make any objection, she gradually began to relax and enjoy herself. She knew her mother would want to hear all about it when she returned home tonight.

Several of her customers wandered by, greeting her warmly, and it occurred to her that after the reception the king and queen had given her, and considering who she was with, it was not likely anyone would say anything disparaging to her. That realization filled her with even more relief.

By the time they had eaten their fill, the meal portion of the evening seemed to be concluding and an area was cleared for dancing.

Theomund grinned at her teasingly. "Do you dare risk your feet on the dance floor?"

With a blush, she admitted, "I am not a good dancer, my lord."

He leaned closer and said softly, "Neither am I, hence my father's warning to you!" Rising he held out a hand expectantly, and resolutely she took it. If she had learned nothing else about him these past months, she knew how determined he could be when he got a notion in his head.

They managed to lumber their way through several dances before Fele finally had to plead for a rest, and Theomund escorted her to the side for some wine. Without her noticing, he steered her over to a group of ladies surrounding the queen, and again Lothiriel greeted her warmly.

Fele had created the promised jewel several weeks ago, and the queen insisted it was one of her favorites, though Fele had not had occasion to see her wearing it. Tonight, the gown Lothiriel wore had a high neck and so the jewel would not have worked well with this particular style. Almost without realizing it, Fele found herself contemplating what gem could be worn to adorn such a dress and, as if reading her thoughts, Lothiriel inquired, "Fele, you will have noticed I have little on in the way of jewels this evening, but I did not think any of my necklaces appropriate. What would you suggest for such a gown?"

All eyes turned to her and she fought to quell the panic rising in her chest. Forcing herself to be calm enough to speak without a quaver in her voice, she cleared her throat and commented, "Well…perhaps rather than a necklace you should consider a brooch, my lady. The lines of the dress would work better with such, and it would focus the attention on the beautiful neckline."

Lothiriel considered this a moment, and finally nodded, "I look forward, then, to seeing what you produce for me. See it done, please!"

Before Fele could give any sort of response, several of the other women eagerly launched into claims of having similar dresses and pressing her to make brooches for them as well. They promised to bring the gowns by the shop so she could see the color and material before beginning her work.

More than a little overwhelmed, she politely thanked each of them as she felt Theomund's hand on her elbow, nudging her away from the group. Excusing herself, just before she turned to accompany him back to the dance floor, she glanced at the queen's face and was rewarded with an amused glint and wink of the eye.

She was still blushing when they took up their dance positions, and Theomund leaned closer so only she would hear, "Did I not tell you tonight would be an investment in your business?"

His eyes held that familiar devilish gleam and she shook her head in wry amusement, then acknowledged, "Yes, my lord, you did. You were correct…again."

Pleased at her capitulation, he gave her another grin and swept her into the dance.

By the time she returned home much later that evening, Fele felt like she was still dancing. The evening had been almost magical, and she felt as if she were in some magnificent dream. Her mother helped her undress as she regaled her with all the gossip of the evening. Whatever Frideswide's thoughts, she merely smiled warmly at her daughter, pleased to see her so happy, and bid her goodnight.

xxxxx

Despite the wonder of the evening, all too soon Fele was back at work struggling to keep up with the demand for her jewels. She was distressed when her mother took ill with a fever and could not watch her son during the day, but was reluctant to simply not work until Frideswide had recovered. At length, she risked taking him to the shop with her. She had repeatedly impressed upon Eledher that he must be very quiet, and play by himself so as not to disturb Theomund or any customers, and he had solemnly promised her he would do so.

She had brought all of his few toys, and made it a point to come quite early so she would be there before Theomund arrived. She knew if Eledher caught a glimpse of the man he would want to go to him, and she thought it best to keep the boy out of sight. Further, she thought it wise to conceal Eledher's presence from Theomund, not at all certain he would approve of her bringing her son into the shop.

Her plan worked well, for the most part, and she was in luck that Theomund was in a bit of a hurry that morning and merely called a greeting to her before going to his workspace. But by mid-morning, when things had eased for Theomund, he became aware of quiet conversations in the other room. Since he had not heard anyone come into the shop, he couldn't imagine who Fele was talking to and ventured forth to investigate.

As he drew near her door, she looked up at him, seeming mildly panicked that he was clearly intending to enter. Jumping up, she moved quickly toward him, as if to head him off, but just then a childish voice was heard to say, "Mama, I am thirsty."

A look of fear crossed Fele's features as she knew he would not have missed hearing Eledher, and she stared at Theomund a moment before launching into an apology, "My lord, I am so very sorry! I should not have brought my son with me but Mother is ill and I did not think I could afford not to work today and I was hoping I could keep him quiet so he would not disturb you!" She blurted it all out very fast and watched his face with apprehension.

His brow knit, not fully understanding her timid behavior, but at length he dismissed her concerns, "Why did you not tell me Eledher was here! I wish to see him." With that he poked his head in over the double-door, glancing around until he located the boy sitting on the floor in the corner with his toys.

"Well, hello! Did I hear you say you were thirsty? Come, I will get you something to drink while your mother works."

Gleefully, Eledher jumped up and ran to him, lifting his arms so Theomund could pick him up. Leaning down over the door, he hauled the boy up into his arms, gave Fele an amused look before turning and moving away, and leaving her at a loss to explain his reaction.

She could not imagine why he was not angry, but she was very grateful for the reprieve. Still, she could not allow Eledher to disrupt his day, so she opened the door to follow them and assure Theomund, "Please do not trouble yourself with him. I will tend Eledher. I do not wish to keep you from working."

"Nonsense," Theomund said over his shoulder, moving into his office and retrieving a jug of water. Awkwardly pouring a cup of it one handed, he produced the drink for Eledher, then looked up at the boy's mother. "He is no trouble. You should have brought him by before this so he could see the shop and the blacksmiths. You keep working – we are going to explore for a bit. I will have him back to you in a short while. Do not fret."

Eledher had paid enough attention to know there was fun to be had, so he quickly downed the water and indicated he was ready to see the sights. With that familiar grin, Theomund strode away with Fele's son in his arms.

As Fele watched them go, she shook her head in disbelief. She was beginning to think that she would never understand this man. He was like no one she had ever met before, and he seemed utterly oblivious to the way things were supposed to be. With a sigh, she returned to work, quite certain he would listen to no further arguments from her.

xxxxx

Yule celebrations in Aldburg were not nearly what they were in Edoras, and Theomund was not about to let Eledher miss out on any of the fun of it. Early on the first day of Yule, he turned up knocking at Fele's door, insisting all three of them dress warmly and come with him. They were not sure what to expect as he led them out to where a sleigh awaited them, but they ended up joining several others heading out of Edoras. Renward, his wife and two young daughters were sharing the sleigh with them, and Frideswide had soon become friends with the other woman, who had lived in Aldburg for several years prior to her marriage.

Fele had found herself perched on the front seat with Theomund and Eledher, and had to keep a firm grip on her son to prevent his exhilaration from sending him tumbling off. The ride alone thrilled him, but when the sleighs held mock races he was nearly overcome with excitement.

Once they reached the gathering place, Eledher was quickly out of the sleigh and having a wonderful time in the snow. After they got the women situated by the fire, Theomund went off to build snow figures with the child. He spent a good hour with Eledher, and then got lured away by some nephews and their friends to help in their snowfight. Eledher was contentedly playing with some other children being watched over by a few mothers, so Theomund didn't feel guilty leaving him there for a time.

While the three mothers stood chatting in a group, the boys in the bunch had somehow gotten on the subject of their fathers, with each bragging about his own father. At length, one older boy of six years eyed Eledher and told him, "You do not have a papa."

Not entirely sure what was going on, and not wanting to feel left out, Eledher's eyes fell on Theomund not far away, firing snowballs at a rapid rate. His scowl turned triumphant, "Yes, I do! Theomund is my papa." The women, who had only been paying slight attention to the children's conversation, did not miss that declaration, and they fell silent, turning as one to look at Eledher.

The other boy shook his head firmly. "No, he is not! He is not anyone's papa. You do not have one."

"I do so! Theomund is my papa!" Eledher shouted.

Eledher's voice had gotten considerably louder, and Fele, who was coming to check on him, did not miss this very public announcement. Flushing bright red, she hurried to snatch her son up in her arms. Choking back the humiliation she was feeling with the others staring at her, she firmly told Eledher, "Dearest, Theomund is not your papa. He is just our friend and does nice things for you, but he is not your papa."

Eledher's eyes had filled with tears. "But I want him to be my papa! He would do it. I know he would!"

Trying not to show how unnerved she was by this discussion, Fele tried again, "Wanting it will not make it so, dearest. You must not say such things." She kissed his cheek, but hurried away from the group before he could say anything more. Frideswide had followed her when she heard the shouting, and watched with dismay as her daughter rushed off to stand by the sleigh with Eledher to try and reason with him.

She smiled tightly at the other women standing there, and said, "Please, pay the child no mind. He misses his own father and he is too young to understand what he is saying. Lord Theomund has been very kind to a little boy who has come to adore him." She turned and moved away before they could comment, carefully not meeting their eyes so she would not see any censure they might be feeling.

A short while later, Zimraphel approached Theomund who was sitting on a log, catching his breath after the battle. His forces had barely won, and presently the other side was trying to coax them into a rematch. Seating herself alongside him, Zimraphel watched the boys debating for a moment, then said quietly, "Eledher just announced that you were his father."

Theomund's head jerked toward her in surprise. "What?"

She sighed, then explained, "One of the other boys told him he had no papa, so he chose you. Fele is trying to convince him it is not so, and that his wanting it does not make it truth, but he is only three and all he knows is that you do the things with him that a father would." She paused, then added, "I thought you ought to know. Word of this will spread quickly." Rising, she moved away to leave him to his thoughts.

Glancing around the campsite, Theomund located Fele, Frideswide and Eledher over by the sleigh, apparently keeping well away from everyone else. This was his fault. He should have anticipated the child would be confused by his actions. If Eledher's father was dead, it would not matter much to Theomund to have the boy making such a claim; he would even have been honored by it. But Fele's husband still lived, thus she was still married to him. He had no right to make claims on the man's son, regardless of the abandonment. He rubbed at his forehead fretfully. He had little concern for the impact this would have on him, but he very much worried what it would do to Fele, and how she would react to it. It could well be that she would no longer wish him to spend time with Eledher. She might even desire to find another workshop to avoid any awkwardness between them.

He hadn't noticed Elfwine approaching him, and only looked up when his shadow fell over the spot where Theomund sat. Seating himself by his brother, Elfwine was silent a few moments, then said quietly, "A problem indeed, brother. What are you going to do?"

"I do not know," Theomund admitted. "I do not wish to cause difficulties for Fele's family, but I do not know how to fix this."

After several moments of further silence, Elfwine offered, "I think if it was me, I would laugh it off." Theomund looked at him curiously, so he explained further, "Part of how this is received will depend on your reaction to it. If you avoid them, people will think you want to distance yourself from such accusations, and that you are rejecting their trying to make a claim on you. If you ignore it, hoping it will go away of its own accord, the rumors about the matter will soon make things far worse than any reality of it. But, if you laugh it off, appear unfazed by having found such favor with a friend's child, and continue on as though nothing has happened, then others will eventually take that view and follow your example. There will be a few who will insist on making this a scandal, but if you do nothing differently and it is all out in the open, it will be very difficult for them to make their case."

Theomund contemplated his words, then suddenly grinned at his brother. "You do know how much you sound like Mother, do you not?"

Elfwine chuckled. "I suppose it was inevitable she would influence me, but if you think my words are what hers would be, then I would say you would be even wiser to follow them. And I am certain Mother and Father will support you in this. Their lack of concern over the incident will also help put the matter to rest."

He stood and looked down at the younger man, then glanced over toward Fele. "And now," he advised, "I think you are being cruel leaving them over there in their misery. Go and draw them back to the fire, and make it clear the boy's declaration is of no consequence. Do not let this ruin their Yule celebration."

Theomund rose, nodding. "You are right. However, since I am going to be busy, and it looks like the two sides are regrouping for another showdown, you will have to take my place on the battle lines. Show no mercy, brother!" He strode away, laughing over his shoulder.

Frideswide was the first to spot Theomund approaching, and quietly murmured a warning to Fele. The woman glanced up, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. She had known that all of this was too good to be true. These past months, being able to make a good living and having a man take an interest in Eledher so he did not miss out entirely on a male influence, had seemed an impossible dream. Now it appeared it was turning into a nightmare, and it was more than she could bear.

Before she could speak, however, Theomund stepped in close and pulled Eledher from her arms, where he was crying into her shoulder. Stepping up into the back part of the sleigh, he seated himself and turned Eledher so he could see his face. "Eledher, listen to me. I know you realize that I am not truly your papa, but I understand why you said it. I am not angry with you."

The boys tears eased a bit, and he turned his tear-stained cheeks up to gaze mournfully at Theomund. Theomund wiped at the tears with his thumb as his hand cupped the boy's face. "But even if I am not your papa, we will always be friends, and I will always enjoy spending time with you. If your papa cannot be here to do things with you, then I will fill in for him until he can be. Is that all right with you?"

Eledher nodded and reached up to wrap his arms around Theomund's neck. Theomund held him for a long time until a quiet voice whispered, "Why did papa leave, Theomund?"

Theomund glanced at Fele and, if her face was any indication, she had heard the question and it was breaking her heart. He rubbed Eledher's back, and answered, "I do not know. He must have had a good reason, and he knew your mama would take good care of you."

Tears slipped down Fele's face at the response and she was fighting her own inclination to break into sobs. Frideswide noticed and caught her arm. "Come, dear, let us go for a walk. I am sure Lord Theomund does not mind watching Eledher for a moment."

Discerning her purpose, Theomund nodded his consent and the women moved away. Eledher turned to watch his mother go and then said softly, "Mama is angry with me."

Theomund kissed his head. "No. She is angry with the situation. She is sorry you do not have a papa here to be with you, and wishes she could do something about that. She is more angry with herself than with you. But you must promise me something." He caught Eledher's chin and turned his face to him. "I know it is hard, but you must not say such things about me to others. If you want to say them to your mother or grandmother, that is all right, but only tell them. It hurts your mama if you say such things when others can hear. They sometimes say mean things to her if they hear you. Will you promise?"

Eledher nodded fervently. "I do not want Mama to be hurt! I will only tell her from now on. I promise!"

"Good! Now, do you suppose you have enough strength left to build some more snow figures?"

"Yes!" the boy exclaimed, readily reverting to his usual cheerful demeanor.

Stepping down from the sleigh, and moving to the play area where other children were still working, Theomund knew all eyes were on him. Well, let them look. He had done nothing to be ashamed of, and neither had this little family. He would not let them suffer for knowing him.

**_A/N2: At the feast, Fele's view of the queen's beauty is not so much the result of Lothiriel's being extremely beautiful, though she has aged well, but is more due to Fele's low self-esteem. From her perspective, every woman in the room is very beautiful, certainly far more than she, and the queen in particular, and she does not realize that a number of men in the room would disagree with her own personal assessment._**


	4. Chapter 4

**Artistic Design**

**Chapter 4**

In spite of Theomund's attitude about the whole thing, it took quite awhile for Fele to begin behaving toward him the way she had before it had happened. Likely it had helped when his mother made it a point to visit the shop less than a week afterwards. She treated Fele the same as ever, which caused the woman to inquire, after the queen was gone, whether Lothiriel had learned of the incident.

Theomund assured her that there was little that escaped his mother's notice, but explained that she didn't bother dignifying gossip with any kind of public response. She preferred to let her actions make her view plain. Only then did Fele realize that the shop visit was intended as a public statement of support. Even so, Fele could not quite bring herself to relax with Theomund, ever fearful that 'the next time' would tax his patience too far.

It dismayed Theomund that Fele was more reserved around him now. She had never been entirely comfortable with him, but this whole matter seemed to have made her more determined to keep him at a distance. She did not prevent his seeing Eledher, but neither did she encourage it, despite her son's pleas.

On one occasion, Theomund had had the opportunity to speak with Frideswide privately and inquired about Eledher's father. She confessed that he had been abusive toward her daughter, so they were not entirely sorry he was gone, but both regretted the impact it had on Eledher; and she explained that while he still lived, her own husband had filled in. Then Frideswide thanked Theomund warmly for his interest in her family, and his many kindnesses.

The whole conversation had left Theomund with mixed emotions. The little family seemed trapped in a hopeless future, not knowing of the husband's whereabouts, but not being free of him either. He was glad he had allowed himself to be pulled into their situation at that first meeting with Fele, and was pleased that his efforts had at least benefitted them financially. If he could not do more, it was some consolation that they were provided for in their basic needs.

When he inadvertently learned that Fele had been saving as much as she could, in hopes of perhaps renting a house so that Eledher would have a yard in which to play, he made it a point to find out how much she was paying in rent. A few years earlier, he had bought some rundown cottages, which he and his brother-in-law Freawine had worked to renovate and make livable. Of the six, four had been completed and were now rented to small, low income families. Two others were still being repaired, and he offered to let her have one when it became ready, at a rent only slightly more than what she was presently paying at the boarding house.

At first she had balked at accepting more aid from him, but he pressed her on it, assuring her that the rent would only be slightly less than what he was asking for the others currently occupied, and if business stayed good and she felt she could afford it, he would allow her to pay a bit more later on. Torn between longing and uncertainty, eventually Theomund wore down her resistance to the idea, enlisting Frideswide's help in achieving it. Even so, it would not be until spring came, and the two men were able to finish the repair work, that a cottage would even be available anyway.

And so they continued their somewhat uneasy alliance over the next few months. In mid-April, as Fele sat working at a ring that had been ordered, she suddenly heard a crash and a yelp of pain from Theomund's work area. Bolting up from her seat, she dashed to the other room to find him clutching at his left hand, in obvious discomfort. The redness of his palm suggested a burn and she hurried over to examine it. When she reached and caught hold of his arm, though, he let out a yell and snatched his hand up and away from her, fighting for control of the pain with deep gulps of breath.

As he turned back to Fele, to apologize for his reaction, he found she had recoiled from him and was cringing in terror, watching him with dread. His brow knit and he reached for her with his good hand, forgetting his injury momentarily, but she lurched backwards, her eyes wide with panic. In an instant, he understood. She thought he was going to harm her!

Mortified at the very thought, he stood staring at her with a tormented expression. At last, he turned on his heel and strode out the door, headed for Meduseld. A healer had soon been sent for, and Lothiriel helped get her son's injury treated and bandaged. Once the healer had departed, she turned to find him sitting gazing into the fire, a lost expression on his face.

"What troubles you, dearest?" she asked, taking a seat near him. He had briefly told her what had happened, including his having yelled when Fele tried to look at his hand, and she suspected his distress was somehow related.

For several moments he did not speak, and she allowed him his private thoughts. Finally, he murmured in a hollow voice, "She is afraid of me. She thought I was going to strike her. How could she think I would ever do that?"

He turned tortured eyes to his mother, pleading for an explanation.

"She does not fear _you_, dearest. She fears what she has learned – that an angry man means pain and hurt. She cannot help but flinch. A man angrily berating a woman, or striking her, can cause far more problems than just in that instant. She will come to dread making a mistake, she will question everything she says and does – worrying that it might provoke his anger. Eventually, if it goes on long enough, she may even come to believe she deserves the 'punishment' she receives from him." Lothiriel fell silent, her own introspection taking her attention.

At length, Theomund asked quietly, "How is it you know so much about it, Mother? Surely, Father has _never_..."

"No. Your Father would cut off his own arm before he would strike me or any other woman in anger. No, I sadly learned of such things many years ago, as an unmarried woman in Dol Amroth. One of our servants behaved much as Fele does, always fearful of others' reactions, especially men. We sometimes saw bruises, but she claimed she was clumsy and always had an excuse for them. Not until she was found dead in her home, beaten almost beyond recognition and her husband fled, did we find out the truth. Her neighbors had known, but feared him as well, so no one said anything, and nothing was done to help her. I recognized the signs in Fele, but since he had abandoned her, I had hoped she was free of that torment."

Theomund wiped at the tears flowing down his face, then admitted softly, "I love her, Mother."

Lothiriel nodded, though he didn't look up to see it. "I know. But, dearest, does she love you?"

His head came up in surprise at the question. He realized he had never even considered it before. "I...do not know. I just assumed if I loved her, she would love me in return."

"Alas, that is not always the case, dearest. I am certain she is grateful to you, for all you have done for her and her family, but that does not necessarily equal love. You...must prepare yourself for the possibility that your feelings are not shared. And, even if she does care for you, it could take a very long time for all of this to ever truly be in her past."

Theomund moved over next to his mother and leaned his head against her shoulder as he had done when he was a child, and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his head.

"I did not think it would be so hard. All these years when I did not find a woman I could love and want to share my life with, I never considered the possibility that I would find her and..." He fell silent, choked with emotion.

"I will not give you false hope, my love, but do not despair just yet. Give it time, and perhaps eventually she will think of you as more than a friend. I believe her mother would be willing to help you in any way that she can. But you must keep in mind that Fele has much to overcome, dearest. Her lowly birth, for one."

Theomund's eyes darkened in amazement that his mother would make such a comment. "I do not care about that – you know I do not! How could you–"

Lothiriel cut him off, "I know _you_ do not care, dearest, nor do I, but _Fele_ does. It has been a part of her all her life, as well as affecting the way she was treated and the way she sees herself. It will take a great deal for her to even imagine she could ever be allowed to love the son of a king, much less believe he could ever love her."

Theomund did not return to the shop. He knew Fele would lock up for him, and he chose to stay at Meduseld for the night. While his family enjoyed having him back in their midst, they could readily discern his dispirited attitude. Not sure how to help him, or even the cause since he did not confide it to anyone but his mother, they settled for keeping the atmosphere general and lighthearted.

He knew that Fele would probably be concerned when he did not come back, but as yet he could not bring himself to face her. He was still struggling to come to grips with all of this – his own feelings, what had happened and what might or might not come of it in the future.

The next day, it was even easier to find reasons not to go to the shop. He could not work anyway, and it had been awhile since he had spent much time with his family. But if he thought to avoid the situation, he was mistaken. At mid-day, Fele put in appearance at the door and was given admittance by the guards. Hesitantly she asked Gamling if the queen might have a moment to speak with her.

When Lothiriel appeared, she almost lost her nerve, but resolutely she cleared her throat and said, "My lady…I am wondering if Theomund is here. He was injured at the shop yesterday and left. I have not seen him since and I am afraid…" She fell silent, unsure what more to say.

Lothiriel smiled reassuringly at the woman. "Do not fret. He is here, and doing well. The healer treated him yesterday and he chose to spend the night here rather than go to his home. Without the use of his hand, he would find it difficult doing for himself, but he does not employ any household servants."

Fele nodded and thanked the queen, then excusing herself she turned to go, but Lothiriel stopped her. "Will you sit with me for a bit?"

Uncertainly, Fele eyed her, but did not dare refuse. "Of course, my lady. If you wish."

Lothiriel gestured to her right, then turned and led the way to her sitting room. Once they were seated, Lothiriel sent for dinner to be brought there to the two of them, and then focused her attention on Fele.

"I wanted to let you know that Theomund is quite upset about what happened yesterday. He did not entirely understand why you reacted as you did when he yelled in pain." Fele blushed very red with embarrassment at her words.

Continuing, Lothiriel explained, "Theomund has always been my gentlest son. He never made a particularly good soldier primarily because he had no interest in fighting. He is more even-tempered than any of the rest of us, even his sisters, and so the very idea that someone would fear he would do them bodily injury, especially a woman, was mortifying to him."

"My lady, I am very sorry to have caused him such distress –" Fele anxiously offered, but Lothiriel silenced her.

"Fele, do not apologize. You could not help your natural reaction. I just wanted to make certain you understood that you never need fear him in any way. He may become impatient with you, but he rarely raises his voice and he would never raise his hand to you. Of that you may have no doubt whatsoever. He is struggling with all of this right now, but in a day or so he will come and apologize personally for any fright he may have caused you."

Fele eyed her in disbelief. Theomund thought he needed to apologize to her? He had done nothing wrong – it was all her fault.

"But, my lady, he must not think –"

Again, Lothiriel cut her off. "No, Fele. You cannot take the blame for what happened. Indeed, others are to blame altogether. What happened yesterday had nothing to do with either you or Theomund – of that I am quite certain. But you need not speak of it. Just know that you are safe here with us at Edoras."

Fele nodded hesitantly, still not entirely comfortable with Lothiriel's view of the situation. Just then the servant arrived with their food and conversation lapsed. When they had filled their plates and were eating, Lothiriel turned the discussion to more innocuous topics and the rest of the meal passed rather pleasantly.

After Fele left, nearly an hour later, Theomund stepped from the shadows where he had concealed himself. He had glimpsed her walking with his mother back to the Golden Hall, and he kept out of sight until she was gone. Now he approached his mother to discover the reason for her presence there.

"She was concerned about you, dearest. You ran off after being hurt and she has heard nothing of you since. Did you think she would not worry?"

He gave a sigh of acknowledgement. "I suppose I cannot postpone this. I must go and see her." Turning, he kissed his mother goodbye and made for the exit.

It felt strange to be reluctant to enter his own shop, but still he stood in the street for several minutes before purposefully striding inside. Fele looked up at the sound of entry, and moved slowly to the door of her work area, eyeing him cautiously.

He stared at her a moment, then dropped his eyes, and murmured, "I am sorry that I frightened you, Fele. And that I worried you by not sending word that I was well."

"You need not apologize!" she hastened to assure him, but he was insistent.

"Yes, I do need to do it. It was thoughtless of me. And I am sorry that I yelled yesterday when you were trying to help me. It was extremely tender and you accidentally touched a very sore spot. The pain caused my rather violent reaction, and it took a moment before I could control the discomfort enough to speak calmly."

"I…should not have touched you," she mumbled softly, keeping her eyes averted from him.

"Why not? You were only trying to help me. And I appreciate that. It is good that you were here. If the injury had been more severe, I might have needed someone to go for aid."

She gave him a tentative smile and he weakly returned it. After a moment, he explained, "I will not be able to work for a few days, until the bandage comes off, but I will still come into the shop at least part of the day in case any customers come in. Renward and I can catch up on organizing things around here. I tend to let them get in disarray when he is not looking."

She gave a small laugh, and it eased the tension considerably. Then she suggested, "If there is anything I can do for you, I hope you will feel free to ask. You have done so very much for me that it is the least I can do in return."

He nodded agreeably. "Thank you."

xxxxx

Though they had gotten past the upheaval that had taken place, and things largely returned to normal, that was not entirely to Theomund's satisfaction. It still left him pining for a woman who was presently unattainable. She was still married, and he dared not even make his feelings known or seek to know hers under the circumstances. And so, their lives continued on separate, but parallel, courses.

Eventually, Theomund's hand was healed sufficiently for him to return to his metalwork. Since it had been his left hand, he had spent the idle time working on some building ideas, sketching possible devices to build to ease work burdens, and even just indulging in a rare opportunity to draw for pleasure. The spring weather was bringing nature out in abundance so there was much to catch his artistic eye.

Eledher had turned four while Theomund's hand was still healing, but that did not stop the boy from pestering his mother to get Theomund to teach him to use a sword. Though still reluctant to impose on him, she did not see how she could avoid this. Sooner or later, Eledher would see Theomund himself and mention it, and she thought it unlikely that Theomund had forgotten. Therefore, it did not surprise her very much when he put in appearance one day with a small wooden sword and shield in hand.

Grinning very much like a large child, he asked to see Eledher, and within minutes, Theomund was showing the boy the basics of handling the sword and shield. He explained that he had kept them since he was a boy, because the one Elfwine had used was passed to Theodwyn and then to Theodred. Theodwyn had not been willing to relinquish it to him, so his father had had another one made for Theomund.

Fele almost objected to Theomund giving these mementos of his childhood to her son, thinking surely he would want to keep them for his own son one day, but before she could say anything, she thought better of arguing. She had never won when opposing such things with Theomund. He was always perfectly insistent that he wanted to do the things he did.

xxxxx

The excellent weather of May brought more customers out. April had been on the rainy side, and the ladies were not terribly inclined to muddy their dresses walking about the streets. Now the various feasts and get-togethers would begin in earnest, and the noblewomen were quite eager to find a new stock of finery for the occasions. Fele again found herself hard pressed to keep up with the demand for her work.

But all her hard work meant she at last felt like she had enough saved to afford to move to the cottage Theomund had offered. The good weather had enabled Theomund and Freawine to complete their repairs, and she was hoping to make the move within the next week. The cottage would have few furnishings at first, but it would be a home.

Theomund had been spending part of the past few days finishing up small details at the cottage, and then coming to the shop a little later in the morning.

Today, as Theomund entered the shop, he heard an angry male voice coming from Fele's work area. He hesitated a moment, then heard a woman gasp in pain and what sounded very much like someone being hit. Immediately, he moved over to the door and demanded, "What is going on here?"

Fele stood cowering in the tight grasp of a man's hand, his other hand raised to strike her. A red mark on her cheek indicated he had already done so at least once. In the corner, Eledher sat crying piteously. An image flashed in Theomund's mind of just a few months back when something similar had taken place in this shop. Now it was evident why Fele had responded to his actions the way she had. For several moments, everyone in the room stood frozen and staring at one another. Then Theomund hissed, "Release her!"

The man gave him a sneer and retorted, "This is between me and my wife, and it is none of your business. Get out!"

Theomund advanced threateningly toward him. "I am making it my business. This is my shop and she works for me. I will not allow you to harm her. Release her!"

The man shoved Fele roughly from him and haughtily crossed his arms. "_Works_ for you, does she? Keeping your bed warm?"

Orgel never even registered what was happening, Theomund moved so quickly, but an instant later he found himself pinned to the wall, with a hand crushing off his air supply. "_She_ is a lady, and I will not allow you to suggest such things of her. She conducts herself with the utmost propriety. The only thing I find her lacking in is good judgment, else there is no explaining her ever marrying _you_!"

Struggling to get his breath, Orgel replied, "You have no right! She is my wife and I will do as I please with her."

His hand still firmly around the man's throat, Theomund dragged him unceremoniously toward the door. "We will see about that!" Moving quickly toward the blacksmith shop, he called to two men working there and thrust Orgel in their direction. "Bring him!"

The men hastily caught Orgel's arms, easily restraining him, and followed Theomund back into the shop. Scooping up Eledher, Theomund said gently to Fele, "Come."

Fighting for control of her tears, and more than a little frightened of what would happen now, she fell in beside him as he led the way to Meduseld. Gamling looked up at the odd party accompanying Theomund and moved toward them to investigate. Tersely, Theomund told him, "I must see my father on a pressing matter."

Nodding, Gamling moved away and returned moments later with Eomer. Formally, Theomund bowed to his father. "My lord, forgive this interruption to your morning. There is an urgent matter that requires your counsel."

Eomer knew his son was not given to doing things frivolously, and just from the looks of the situation he could tell it was serious. He stepped to the throne and took his seat, gesturing to Theomund. "Speak."

"This man..." he began, then looked at Fele questioningly.

She understood he wanted a name and supplied, "Orgel, my lord."

"This man, Orgel, is the husband of Fele and the father of Eledher. Two years ago, he abandoned them in Aldburg and left them to fend for themselves. Now he comes to Edoras to find her and I discovered him striking her. I seek the King's protection for this woman and her child."

Orgel found his voice and protested, "It is not so, Eomer-King! It is I who have been wronged by this woman! She left me and stole my son, sneaking away to Edoras – no doubt to take up with her new lover!" He cast a sneering eye at Theomund.

Through the entire exchange, Fele stood with her head bowed, her face flaming in embarrassment and shame at the accusations.

"You are from Aldburg, you say?" Eomer asked, almost conversationally, of Orgel.

"Yes, my lord. Of a fine, upstanding family, I assure you."

Signaling Gamling to him, Eomer whispered something to his Doorward, who nodded and moved quickly away. "Have a seat. We will wait a few moments before we proceed."

Theomund moved to a nearby bench and saw Fele settled on it. Eledher had calmed in his arms and patting the boy's back, he handed him to his mother, then took a seat beside her. The two blacksmiths pulled Orgel over, shoved him down on a separate bench and flanked him, each keeping a hand on one of his arms, much to his annoyance.

Less than ten minutes later, the doors to Meduseld opened again and Elfhelm slowly made his way toward the throne, accompanied by his wife, Freyda. Coming to a stop in front of Eomer, he smiled and said, "You sent for us, my lord?"

Eomer nodded, and gestured for the others to rejoin them. Looking at the two new arrivals, he asked, "This is Orgel and Fele of Aldburg, and their son. What do you know of them?"

The pair turned to study the other three and then put their heads together in conference. A moment later, Elfhelm indicated his wife would speak for them.

"My lord," she began, a bit hesitantly, "I do not know much of Orgel other than by word of mouth. Some two years ago, I believe it was, he left the city, without his wife and child, and giving them no indication of his whereabouts. The woman was left to care for herself and the child, and moved in with her parents. Her father died last year, and I had heard that Fele had come to Edoras in hopes of making a better living to provide for her mother and child."

Eomer questioned, "And what did you hear of Orgel's character, other than the abandonment?"

Looking uncomfortable, Freyda admitted, "It was said that he had a bad temper, my lord, and Fele was often seen with bruises that suggested he had struck her."

"You have no proof of that! Or of anything else! Why would you take the word of these people over me? I am an upstanding citizen of Aldburg!" Orgel protested.

"So upstanding a citizen that you do not recognize Elfhelm, former Marshal of the East-mark, and his wife? These people are those I know to be true and loyal subjects, and I can count on them to be honest and truthful in all their dealings with me. I will readily take their word over yours!"

Eomer rose and stepped down to face Fele, and asked, "Fele, are these things true that I have been told about you and your situation by Theomund, Elfhelm and Freyda?"

Casting a fearful glance at Orgel, who glared threateningly at her, she hesitated responding. Noticing the look exchanged, Eomer reached out a hand and lifted her chin, turning her to face him. "Do not fear him. You are now under the protection of the King of Rohan. Answer me honestly, are these things true?"

A tear slipped down her cheek and she averted her gaze though he kept her facing him, but at length she hoarsely whispered, "They are true, my lord."

Eomer moved over to stand before the outraged Orgel, who was struggling against his captors' hold, shouting, "She lies!"

"Silence!" Eomer bellowed and Orgel was stunned into submission. The king might be somewhat advanced in years, but he was still an imposing figure. "She does not lie. And I am ashamed to know there are men in the Riddermark such as you! You do not deserve to be called Rohirrim! I am forthwith cancelling your marriage to this woman. You will never again go near her or the child. You will leave Edoras and never return to this city. If you do, I will have you imprisoned. If you make any attempt to harm either of them, I will have you killed. Do I make myself clear?"

"You cannot do this! I have –" Orgel argued, but was cut off by an enraged King.

"I asked if you understood! I am not interested in the opinion of a spineless worm like you who would dare lay a hand on a woman. Answer me!"

Realizing his tenuous position and thinking better of further argument, Orgel nodded reluctantly.

"You will be out of Edoras within the hour. If I do not receive confirmation of that from the guards at the gate, I will send men to find you and throw you in the dungeon. Do not ever come back here." Turning to Fele, he added, "You will remain here at Meduseld until he is gone. My wife will attend you." He cast a glance at Gamling who went to fetch Lothiriel.

Eyeing Theomund, Eomer asked, "Do your men have time to escort Orgel to the gates?"

With a slow smile, Theomund answered. "They will make time, Father. Thank you!"

Eomer stepped toward his son and gripped his shoulder, "I am glad you brought this to me, though it saddens me that such was necessary."

Lothiriel appeared at his side and he quietly offered a brief explanation to her. Nodding her understanding, Lothiriel moved to Fele's side and put an arm around her. "Come with me, Fele."

Theomund watched the various parties exiting the hall in different directions. He was pulled from his thoughts by his father asking, "You care a great deal for her, do you not?"

Startled by the question, Theomund blinked in surprise. He had not realized that his father knew of his feelings, but he might as well acknowledge the truth of it. "Yes, I do. For both of them."

"Did you know about Orgel before today?"

"She had confessed the matter to me right at the outset, when she sought workspace in my shop. I just did not expect it to ever come to this. But, in a way, I am glad that it did. Now she is free of him and can move on with her life."

With a mischievous grin, Eomer asked, "And does that mean we will be seeing more of her and Eledher, when you come to visit us?"

Blushing slightly, Theomund shrugged, "It might!"

THE END

2/24/06 – 3/3/06

**_A/N: Clarification: Even though I have painted Theomund as "gentle" and "an artist", that is not to say that he is a wimp. Certainly his metalwork has involved a blacksmith hammer on occasion, and I envision him as being rather muscular, though his strength has been developed in the pursuit of making things rather than practicing with swords, spears and the like. Whilehe may be gentle, but that doesn't mean he won't protect those he cares about - physically, if necessary. In terms of looks, I see him as opting for the clean-shaven style of Gondorian men and wearing his hair in their somewhat shorter style - only to the shoulder. And for whatever reason, I see the boys as all having brown hair and the girls both being the Rohirric blond. So the kids have inherited a mix from the parents._**


End file.
